Gamma Ray Burst could devastate the Earth

[JimH52]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2013/05/27/earth-may-still-lie-in-path-of-potential-gamma-ray-burst-grb-say-astronomers/

I saw something on the Discovery Channel about this. If the burst occurred in direct line with the earth, the portion on the planet receiving the rays could become a waste land. Mind Boggling...

[Trinnity]

Wolf-Rayet 104 is of remote, very remote concern in proximity and time frame. Although there's no way to know when it will go nova, it could be NOW or half a million (or more) years from now. More than likely it won't happen anytime soone.

We get faded GRB radiation every day. But the likelihood of getting a direct and fatal blast is minuscule. Despite the possibility mentioned in the article, WR104 is 8000 light years away and that's so far as to be an unlikely threat. There aren't any stars within 200 light years away that are the type that will explode as a gamma ray blast. There's just nothing close enough and whose poles are aimed at us, to be a real threat. I'm not worried.

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/429/cache/space168-gamma-ray-burst_42991_600x450.jpg
depiction
http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/images/screen/heic0003a.jpg

High res GRB from Hubble.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic0003/

[Trinnity]

Well, I guess no one is worried...lol. :laugh:

[Peter1469]

Congress addressed the issue and decided to not spend the money to harden our grid.

[Trinnity]

Congress addressed the issue and decided to not spend the money to harden our grid.Not a priority? But foreign aid to countries that hate us is? Our fgov has gone mad.

[Agravan]

Congress addressed the issue and decided to not spend the money to harden our grid.
We must increase taxes to combat this new man-made threat to the Earth!! Where's Algore when the world truly needs him?!?

[JimH52]

It is sobering, but I am more worried about the wild extremes that our weather is taking.

[Agravan]

It is sobering, but I am more worried about the wild extremes that our weather is taking.

Cyclic, bud, as has been explained many times before.

[jillian]

Cyclic, bud, as has been explained many times before.

because it's impossible for you to contemplate that we could be exacerbating normal cycles?

and rightwing science deniers "explaining" isn't very compelling

[Agravan]

because it's impossible for you to contemplate that we could be exacerbating normal cycles?

and rightwing science deniers "explaining" isn't very compelling

"science deniers" - those people that refused to believe liberals during the 70's ICE AGE scare and now refuse to believe the AGW scam, because both examples of "settled science" are infested with hoaxes, falsified data and science by consensus, not real science.

[JimH52]

because it's impossible for you to contemplate that we could be exacerbating normal cycles?

and rightwing science deniers "explaining" isn't very compelling


Along with other RW arguments lost, such as cigarettes don't cause cancer and nicotine is not addictive. "The Tobacco companies are telling the truth!"